RIP BIG John Gillis

[PTBoardOp94]

WIBC's longtime staffer John Gillis passed away on Friday. Gillis started at WIBC in 1968 and worked there for nearly 40 years, doing "sky watch traffic" for most of the final 30 years.

Arrangements are pending.

 

[Hoosierky]

He was also the original morning man at WNAP.
He and his mutton chops will be missed.

 

[RDO]

Is he the one who coined the phrase, "spaghetti bowl"?

 

[Lamont Lester]

WIBC's longtime staffer John Gillis passed away on Friday. Gillis started at WIBC in 1968 and worked there for nearly 40 years, doing "sky watch traffic" for most of the final 30 years.

Sad news. A true legend.

I'd worked with Big John a couple of times. First was when he returned to Indy in late 1979 at the old Kiss 99. John handled promotions and a weekend air shift. He wasn't there long. Paul Page had grown tired of doing traffic on WIBC and left the job after he was injured when the WIBC helicopter crashed near Speedway High School. So Paul replaced Mike Fornes as Sport Director at Kiss and Big John left for WIBC and traffic reporting history. There was a large corn field just across US 40 from the Kiss studios in Greenfield. Wasn't it John who would occasionally have the 'copter fly there and just hover over that corn field in plain site of the Kiss air studio? A little gamesmanship with a former employer.

The next time I worked with John was at the old Metro Networks. John had an afternoon routine that he followed religiously. Having to fly with a Metro pilot didn't suit him at times. Metro's producers had a certain amount of say in where that airplane flew. John was accustomed to his schedule. We quickly learned that Big John more than deserved his way. Everyone in the Metro studio learned from John. He was a consummate pro. No one in Indy ever has or will do that job better. He loved the city. And the city returned that love.

At Gold 104.5, Scott Roddy used to love to play the Jimmy Dean song "Big John" just before a traffic update. Sometimes we'd find a way to make a subtle reference to Indy's Big John as the song faded. A little tribute and a little putting things into perspective. The ratings may have been good for us, but we knew who the big dog was.

I've always found it interesting that it's the long time AM radio traffic guys who are the most remembered at their passing. Art Mehring in Cincinnati. Dick Gilbert in Louisville. Big John Gillis in Indianapolis. I think it's a benefit of the job. In drives, that's the one voice on the air you specifically tune in for. It's a unique connection no one else on a radio station can make. It's something of an art. And sadly, it's becoming a lost art.

 

[flip23]

These days many traffic reports are imported from another city. The traffic reporters often mis-pronounce street names and are unable to really describe situations since they don't know the area. Also it seems that often by the time they read an accident from their screen, it's been cleared up for a while and all is normal at the scene.

 

[Hibby]

Big John Gillis funeral arrangements: Flanner & Buchanan-Broad Ripple (1305 East Broad Ripple Ave.) Indianapolis. Visitation 11am-2pm Saturday, November 17; Service 2pm; Gathering following the service. Directions available at the Flanner-Buchanan web site.